Lost Bread

Now THAT was the weekend I needed. We pretty much did absolutely nothing and it was absolutely wonderful. The only productive activities were grocery shopping and a liquor store run (for beer, girl beer, and white wine) - it's been really hot until today and both of us felt like having some beer (Mike's Hard Pomegranate Lemonade for me, which doesn't taste like pomegranate but is still pretty good). Other than that, we did whatever we felt like - took long naps, played with a frisbee in the park, painted our fingernails (me) and toenails (both! I totally painted Dan's toenails while we watched Terminator 2. It was fun). I worked on a Seecret Knitting Project that is turning out to be both fun and challenging, and Dan played a lot of chess on the computer.

But mostly, we cooked, ate, and cleaned up after several tasty, tasty meals. There were some successful experiments (a new rustic fruit pastry! Pizza cooked on the barbeque!) and some tried-and-true classics (Spinach, mushroom, and goat cheese omelettes with kiwi/pineapple and turkey bacon; spinach salad with poached salmon and strawberries). And because this is FoodBlop Month, I'm going to write all about it.

But first, a breakfast favorite around the Pantalones Del Nerd household: French Toast. Or, as the French call it, lost bread (pain perdue?). This is something that I've been making since I was a little kid, and while we eat it pretty rarely, when we do it is so, so good. MMMM.

MLE's French Toast (makes 8 pieces) (all amounts are estimated, since I don't actually measure anything)

4 eggs
1/4-1/3 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla

Mix this all up with a fork or whisk until blended. Add
1/2-1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
(you can also use ginger or allspice, but I tend to just pick 3 spices and go with it)

Whisk this together quickly to get the spices as well-integrated as you can into the egg mixture, since they will float and coat the early pieces of bread, leaving the later pieces bereft of spiciness.

Dredge 8 pieces of whole wheat bread in egg mixture (I use a wide-rimmed shallow bowl to accomodate the bread, since I like to leave the bread in the batter for a few seconds to give it time to soak up egg) and cook on nonstick skillet or frying pan (add some nonstick spray first, or some butter if you're feeling up to the extra calories). I leave them on each side until well-browned to make sure the egg inside is cooked.

Serve with fruit to top (chopped strawberries, raspberries, etc.) and maple syrup or agave nectar. I generally eat 3 pieces, Dan eats 4, and there's one leftover for a snack later on.